Prehistoric Man Had Much to Occupy Him
THIS PLATE seeks to highlight several of the most inter
esting achievements of Mesopotamian prehistory. It
is a composite picture in more ways than one. The features
here illustrated could not be found together in any single
level, but each is authentic for a particular occupation; and
all date from an age prior to the beginning of history, that
is, from before 3000 B. c.
At Tepe Gawra, however, the prehistoric period is repre
sented by as many as 20 individual levels, and a similar time
span is required by the evidence from other sites.
With so much ground to be covered, it was necessary to
compress into a single composition here, and in the two
preceding plates, the story of several centuries. Some of
the pottery, for instance, belongs to Gawra XX (counting
from the top) and below; the arched doorway, on the other
hand, is a product of Gawra VIII, or very close to the
beginning of history proper.
The painted pottery of prehistoric Gawra falls into two
main groups; the earlier of these bears the name of Halaf,
and the later of El Obeid, a relative of the earliest pottery
from the Elamite capital at Susa. The Halaf pottery is
celebrated for its high firing, its glossy polish, and especially
for its extraordinarily intricate decoration in more than one
color. The El Obeid pottery from Gawra is often decorated
with naturalistic designs-plants, birds, animals, and even
landscape composition.
The potter by then had discovered the closed kiln, which
enabled him to control his temperatures. The painter ground
his materials on stone palettes and used them with infinite
skill and patience. The stonecutter,
too,
leftusfineexamples
of his work, ranging from weapons
toengraved
stamp
seals.
None of his masterpieces,however,
canmatch
hisbest
efforts in translucent obsidian,
such
asthespouted
bowl
depicted here beside the pottery.
When
itisborne
inmind
that this volcanic glass cracks
rather
easily
under
pressure,
that the whole bowl had tobeground,
spout
and
all,out
of a single core, and thatmany
apiece
must
have
been
nursed along to the last stage
only
tocollapse
under
the
finishing touches, the work ofthese
nameless
artists
ofsome
5,000 years ago will stand out
asincredible.
The barber used straightrazor
handles
made
ofslate
and
furnished with obsidian blades
which
were
attached
tothe
holder with bitumen. The author
cantestify
from
experience
that these razors were efficient
and
convenient
tohandle.
The playing pipes weremade
ofbone.
They
occur
as
early as Gawra XII. Oneof
thebest
preserved
specimens
was found in the grave of ayoung
boy,
theright
hand
still
clutching the instrument.
Gawra VIII produced thefirst
known
example
ofatrue
arch, made of sun-baked bricks.
This
level
contained
another
acropolis different in detailsand
general
design
from
that
of Gawra XIII (page 60), but
nolessimpressive.
The new architectural features
aresufficiently
distinctive
to suggest that a change inpopulation
had
taken
place
after
Gawra XIII. But who thesenewcomers
were,
and
who
their
predecessors may have been,will
probably
never
beknown.
It is true of the prehistoricpeoples
more
than
ofany
other,
that only by their works shall
they
beknown.